The charity
Think Pacific
is
working to provide increased opportunities for children. They
replenish school resources, provide training and help rebuild essential
facilities.
I need your help to dedicate
a
month of this summer to volunteer with Think Pacific, working to increase
standards in education, extracurricular activities and sports.

Who AM I?

Bula Vinaka!
or Hello everyone! My name is Alejandro Rodriguez and I am 19 years
old. I am currently studying the first year of Computer Systems Engineering at
The University of Manchester. Since I arrived in Manchester I've been
keen to get involved with volunteering opportunities to support the local
community. I have been a mentor for educational charity Debate Mate, whose aim
is to help children in disadvantaged areas improve their confidence by teaching
debate. Also, I have taken part in a scheme of Intergenerational Volunteering
to organise parties and social outings for older people in Manchester.

During my volunteering for Think Pacific,
I'm excited to use the experience I've developed through my previous
volunteering to make a personal difference to disadvantaged children in Fiji.

FIJI

Fiji is a small archipelago country located in the South Pacific Ocean, approximately 2000 km from New Zealand's north island. Suva is the capital of Fiji.

Map of Fiji - Google Maps

Think Pacific Foundation
(registered
charity number 1162190) is a small charity which works in remote villages,
where over one third of children grow up in poverty and where over 200 schools
were damaged during Cyclone Winston in February 2016.

Think Pacific Logo

What will i be doing?

When I arrive in Fiji, I will travel
to a rural town where I will be spending the duration of the project. Once
there, I will be immersing myself in Fijian culture and I will be
working at a
local primary school
teaching Fijian children English and Mathematics.

I will use the debating experience I
have gained teaching at Debate Mate in order to share my debating and public
speaking skills with the children. My aim will be to
improve their confidence
in speaking in public while at the same time having fun playing games.

Finally, I will also get active with
the children in the afternoon by
playing sports
with them, such as volleyball,
football or hockey.

Afternoon sport activities with the school children

During my one month project, I will
experience tough and challenging conditions, as I will be living far from all
the amenities I take for granted back in Spain and in the UK. For instance,
I
will not have
access to electricity, cellular data, nor access to running water
(I will have to take cold water bucket showers). Essentially I will immerse
myself in a real Fijian rural village. Through my teaching I will be delivering
a government backed programme to inspire children living in hardship. I shall
also donate vital school and sports resources to enable our good work to
continue long term.

Through the project, my aim is to
gain a deeper insight into life in the developing world, and use skills gained
through education, such as working as an English teacher in Spain, or as a
mentor in the social enterprise
Debate Mate,
to make a
personal difference to the children. I hope to immerse myself into local
culture, challenge myself and contribute to making a difference globally.

One of the pupils from a local Fijian school

Fundraising

I am
aiming to
raise £965 to cover the costs of my volunteering project in Fiji
. Finally, in order to raise awareness
about the current issues in Fiji, I will be taking part in the
Great Manchester 10K
run
that will be taking place on Sunday, May 20th. I will be running for such
great cause after so much effort training!

Great Manchester Run - May 20th 2018
- I am running for Fiji!

Why should you donate?

I will be working in a team of around
twenty volunteers. This means the children's learning experience will be greatly
enhanced and there will be huge benefits from getting the perspectives of many different cultures.

By supporting me to take part in a think pacific project, I will be helping in the success of their projects, which see:

20,000+ children
supported

40% increase in
literacy

15% increase in
school attendance

40+ teachers
trained annually

600% increase
in sports

Over 1 million
Fijian dollars invested

A typical day in the classroom with a previous female volunteer

Where will the money go?

The
minimum amount
of money fundraised (that is
£407
) will go to the direct costs of volunteering, such as in-country transport, accommodation and food. In fact, the charity works closely with the Fijian government to ensure this.

The
rest of the funding i.e. £558
will be allocated as such:

£195 - Registration fee

£165 - Project Planning

£88 - 24/7 Support to Volunteers

£77 - Expedition Leadership

£33 - Volunteer Recruitment

Learning activities outside are always welcome!

Rewards

Hey, I have some fab rewards to thank everyone who donates, whatever the amount you might give. Check them out!

Harry,
Think Pacific
founder, with a group of local Fijian schoolchildren

Help FIJIAN CHILDREN succeed!

You don't need to give money to help me succeed! Please share this project with anyone you think would support the project – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog.

In fact, share it with everyone you know as I think it's a great idea, and the more people who know about it, the more likely we are to make this work out brilliantly.

And I know I said you don't need to give money to help the charity, but I'd love it if you did! Please sponsor me and help make this happen.